Community Night is April 21 from 6-9 p.m. at Cedar Springs High School

AeroMed is always a big draw at Community Night. Post photo by J. Reed.

It was 25 years ago, in 1986, when the idea for a “Community Dinner” for Cedar Springs Public School, the City of Cedar Springs, and the school district area was born.
According to an article written five years ago by Shirley Hans, a former education booster and school board member, they were looking for some way to involve the community and schools in some experiences that would encourage everyone to work more together for the community as a whole, and share things the students were doing in their classes. “We wanted more parents, businesses, clubs and organizations, and community members to learn more about each other and the good things we were all doing. It could be fun, free, and positive advertising for us all,” she wrote.
Invitations were delivered for the first “Community Dinner,” as it was then called. It was held at the Middle School (now Cedar View) and most of the participants were school booths, area clubs and groups who handed out information, and area restaurants that handed out samples of food. It was fun, but too much work for the restaurants, so modifications were made. After a few years the dinner portion was dropped and it became “Community Night.”
The Community Action Network (CAN) now oversees the event, and it’s now a tradition for many businesses, organizations, churches, and school groups to participate in Community Night, held each April at Cedar Springs High School.
Come celebrate with your friends and neighbors at this year’s Community Night on April 21 from 6-9 p.m. at Cedar Springs High School. There will be fun, prizes and free cake for everyone!